Fate Extra: New Moon
by Born of Prayers
Summary: Participating in the Holy Grail war before the games, a young Master and his Servant Lancer, are part of a team of activists who have all decided to enter in hopes of one of them claiming the grail before the Harways could.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

* * *

><p><em><span>Night<span>_

The door to rooftop of Tsukumihara Academy closed.

A locking sound followed it, as one of my comrades hacked it to ensure that it couldn't be opened by anyone else while we were up here. To be safe, I had her layer on a buffer to prevent sound from escaping.

The four of us had finally gathered.

"Looks like all of us passed the qualification," I said, revealing the back of my hand to the others. There was a scarlet, intricate mark embedded into the skin. The rest did the same, showing their own unique designs.

They were _Command Seals_, proof that we were _Masters_ in the _Holy Grail War_.

"The preliminary phase ends tomorrow," a polite, soft voice came from my right. "There still hasn't been any sign of the Harways' representative."

"Did we receive bad information?" a masculine voice rose up.

"No," I said. "The Harways have been going after the Holy Grail for some time now. With their resources, we'll have to assume they'll be lying low. The representative is most likely an expert at spiritual hacking."

"Regardless, our goal is clear," the mature voice of wisdom spoke up. "We all entered this war, knowing full well that only one of us could leave alive, in order to secure the Holy Grail, and end the Plutocracy."

The Harways owned over 60% of the world at this point, and halted all technological advancement. The stagnation they've inflicted upon the world would slowly lead it to a fate of decay and death.

"Alright," I stood up. "Is everyone ready?"

They all nodded their heads.

"Myta," I looked over to the blue haired girl with glasses, "link us up."

Myta began hacking into each of our profiles, through the .PH. Data flowed through our minds and was altered, restructuring the link between our physical bodies, and our avatars. Our vision was cut off, until Myta had finished the job.

"_Hacking Complete_," Myta said. "_Shared Perception_ has been integrated into all of our profiles."

We all slowly opened our eyes, revealing the illuminated blue irises that connected us, until only one remained.

/*/

I used my terminal to access the private room assigned to me in Class 3-B.

Inside, I stumbled once the room became slightly off tilt, only to find that I had nearly fell over without realizing it. The familiar sound of a digital being gaining a physical form alerted me to the figure standing behind me, holding me upright. It was a presence that I was still growing accustomed to, after decimating that effigy that stood against us so that I wouldn't become one of the nameless, faded figures that were forgotten.

I turned to face my _Servant_, my spear and shield in this war.

She had a beautiful face, befitting of one of her stature in her previous life. Her scarlet hair was wrapped up in a Dutch braid, which fell past her shoulders. She wore a modest, white linen kirtle, which was a minor modification of her character model, made at her request using the Alteration of Souls done in the Chapel as a back door.

It was such a trivial thing when you consider the fact that we would be fighting for our lives from here on out, but that red haired woman said that it was no problem since she gained some experience by accident during the last war. Although I didn't find out until after the modification was done, I still cringed a little whenever I thought about what she said had happened to the last person she tried that with.

That poor bastard…

Although it was only superficial, it would hide her identity while outside the Arena or the Elimination Battle. Just in case someone oversaw her.

"Fylkir," she called, referring to me as "Master" by her native tongue, while her hazel eyes were entrancing me. "That modification to your channels did something to the link between your physical body and avatar…"

"It's just the feedback that made me stumble," I told her. "We used a modified version of a technique from before Magecraft vanished, called _Shared Perception_. I didn't shut it down properly, so I got a sting from the process being abruptly cut."

In this war, information would be the key to survival. So we needed to be able to share it at the drop of a digital nail. We could pass on any information during an enemy encounter with this trick, gaining an upper hand on future enemies.

"I'll be fine, Lancer."

She nodded and silently made her way over to stack of desks that became a tower surrounding her. While she laid in the hollow center of the tower, I planted myself into a chair and closed my eyes. I couldn't dream in this virtual world, but compared to the nightmares I normally had in reality, that was a blessing.

Truthfully, just hanging around in this school setting was a blessing as well. How long had it been since we didn't have to worry about bombs suddenly exploding, or the sound of gunfire filling the air?

But that ended tomorrow.

Because, after tomorrow…

The Holy Grail War would begin.

Fate Extra ~New Moon~


	2. Week 1: Start of the War

Week 1: The Start of the War

_**The First Week: The first selection**_

_**Combatants Remaining: 128**_

_**Remaining Evenings: 6**_

_Midday_

A beeping sound from my terminal breaks me free of my trance, echoing inside the empty classroom. Once the preparation phase ended, those who couldn't break free of the illusion that had been cast over them simply vanished, fading as if their renderer's alpha channel had been set to zero.

I looked down to see the announcement:

_The next combatants will be announced on the second floor bulletin board._

The sound of my Servant appearing drew my attention from the terminal and towards her.

"The Norns have spun their threads it would seem," she said in a soft voice. "Shall we go learn of our foe's name?"

I nodded, and she vanished with the same sound as before.

Opening the door, I stepped out of the classroom and walked down the stairwell, passing another Master who survived to this point. We briefly glanced at one another and continued along our paths. Whoever she was, she would be an enemy soon enough.

No, she was already an enemy.

On the bulletin board, a white sheet of paper had two names. Mine was obvious and warranted no mention. The other though…

_Master: Baltr_

_Battlefield: First Chimeric Lunar Sea_

Baltr.

That was the name of the first opponent I would face. The first person I would kill in this war. I should've been used to having to take the life of an enemy, whose face I did not recognize; a name I did not know.

At least I didn't have to kill one of my comrades in the first round. But I still wasn't ecstatic about this whole system of kill or be killed. Regardless, the prize would be worth it, if it would bring down the Harways.

I had to keep telling myself that.

"You're my opponent, huh?" an unfamiliar voice came from behind me. Had I not been lost in thought, I would have noticed them approaching. I turned to face the voice.

He was a tall man, with black and gray hair that covered his face, only allowing slivers of his condescending eyes to reach mine. He wore a matching gray jacket, with tufts of black fur on the edges, and dark blue pants that nearly covered his black shoes.

"Hm," he looked me up and down, "just a stone in my path."

After that demeaning comment, he walked off.

My first opponent walked down the stairs and out of sight. When there was no one else around, my Servant appeared once again. Her eyes were like daggers, glaring in the direction of where he departed.

I understood instinctively that she would not forgive him for his words towards me. Regarding me as only a stone to be kicked out of the way, no more than a pebble, was an insult that she would not let slide. It seemed that this wouldn't be an enemy we would regret killing.

We departed to the Nurse's office, to retrieve some free healing supplies, before accessing the doorway that lead to the Arena. Along the way we were stopped by the ditzy adult-child, Taiga. She said she lost her favorite strap along on the first floor of the Arena and requested that we retrieve it by tomorrow.

With that out of the way, we made our way to the Arena.

/*/

_First Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor_

We stepped off the Teleporter Pad. Dressed in formal wear that looked like a modified school uniform painted black, with a pair of fingerless, red gloves on my hands, and red sneakers on my feet, I was ready to explore the first floor and find the Cipher Key. Next to me was my Servant, who was dressed for battle.

A glimmering, sliver breastplate had appeared over the white linen kirtle, hugging her chest tightly. Metal greaves and boots decorated her feet, clanking with every step she took. Gloveless gauntlets wrapped her forearms, completing her armor set. Every piece of metal had a pattern engraved to make it look as though flames were licking the edges.

She was magnificent.

"Fylkir," she addressed me. "From here on, we'll be attacked by programs that are generated to provide a challenge in retrieving the Cipher Keys. I shall be your spear and strike them down."

Although she said that with a warrior's intent, I noticed her eyes seemed a little empty, waiting to be filled by my acceptance of her declaration. While it was be obvious that I would rely on her, she desired me to acknowledge it. Considering her past, I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise.

"Of course," I told her. Her eyes briefly flashed gold in joy, and she turned away blushing.

We walked down the transparent, box-like maze structure for roughly a minute, when a program appeared from around a corner. It was box-like, split in half with some kind of tether inside that prevented it from pulling itself apart completely. The program attacked, but my Servant was already in front of me.

In a flash of flames, a scarlet spear—with the only alternate color being a golden streak that curved down the shaft—appeared in her hands. Holding it diagonally, she protected me from the attack with a hexagonal tiled shield, before twisting and thrusting the spear through the program. It convulsed rather violently as it began breaking down.

The program dissolved, and I felt as though a small amount of water was filling me up inside. EXP, I believe it was called. Considering my magic circuits were integrated well enough to empower Lancer to about half her true strength, it wasn't necessary at this point. But still, this really was like a game.

Minus the whole, "lose and die," thing.

Moving forward, we uncovered minor things in a few of the Data-Folders, including another school uniform, which I planned to sell back at the Commissary, before we found the Tiger Strap.

Somehow, I felt as though it belonged on a Kendo Sword.

A few more programs blocked our path, but they were no match for Lancer's spear and were pierced.

/*/

We found the Cipher Key, dead ahead in a green Data-Folder, when the cyber world inverted for a brief second. Lancer had already summoned her spear and was standing in front of me. The empty space between us and the Data-Folder was now filled by…a child.

It was a translucent child, an avatar whose renderer look stuck at the halfway point of the alpha channel. Staring at us with empty eyes, I felt no trace of life behind them.

"A _cyber-ghost_?" I wondered aloud.

Cyber-ghosts were the echoes of those who once lived and were recorded by Moon Cell. They were simply harmless data, in the form of humans. Although I heard that occasionally you could see an animal one.

The avatar of the child flickered, before erupting in a black torrent of data. Once the rising torrent settled, the avatar had taken on the form of a towering monstrosity, similar to the effigy used in the qualification round, but larger, darker, and jagged looking.

And unlike the silent effigy, this one howled.

"Fylkir, please get behind me!" Lancer asked, in a concerned manner that stood on edge. "This feeling…is it—"

The monster howled once again to silence Lancer, and then it started lurching towards us.

Lancer attacked.

She was a silver blur, with a red streak mixed in. I could barely make out when the strike she unleashed towards the monster's chest had been launched.

But the monster could.

It swung down its arm, using brute force to knock the tip downward. The spear was embedded into the ground, and would require at least a second to pull out. But, Lancer did not have a second. The other arm was coming from below, attempting to deliver a blow that would cause massive damage.

It was a Break, a type of strike that could pierce a basic Guard. An Attack, which was faster than a Break, could stop it. But, with her spear in the ground, the Break would land, and send her flying.

If she hadn't been a seasoned warrior, that was.

She placed her foot on the rising fist and rode it into the air, with the spear being pulled out by the force. Landing with a somersault, she crouched down in preparation for a thrust. Her slender legs rippled with power, as she charged forward.

The monster swiped its massive arm horizontally, along the path in front of her. Lancer used her momentum to flip forward in a single, fluid motion, and swung the spear down as she passed overhead. The tip made contact and it took the hit from the weak strike.

Not enough damage.

It was reeling to strike her once she landed, crushing her like a silver tomato against the ground. She didn't move, preparing to launch a piercing strike through its abdomen. Even with her speed, she wouldn't make it.

My turn then. I activated the formal gear's code cast, "_bomb(16);_"

Power surged from the tip of my outstretched hand, and a small explosion occurred on the monster's head, stunning it momentarily. She struck then and she struck hard. When the scarlet spear ran through the monster, it was over.

"…!" Lancer pulled out her spear and used it to Guard. The massive strike it unleashed with its arm broke through the defense and left her skidding back towards me. Reviewing her health, I saw she lost 16% of her points in a single strike.

Moaning, but not defeated, the monstrosity born of a cyber-ghost vanished. The atmosphere rested, and Lancer turned to me.

"Such abnormal strength," she commented, looking at the destruction caused to the environment. The SE. RA. PH could normally repair the damage instantly, but at the current rate of restoration, it would take the remainder of the day. "That was far stronger than a program of this level, and since each specific Arena can only be accessed a pair of combatants at anytime…"

"We should assume that it was our opponent's Servant?"

Considering the lack of anything but the single drive to inflict harm onto my Servant, using brute strength, we could only think of one class capable of such a thing:

_Berserker_.

"Fine then," I told her. "We'll assume that Baltr is using a Berserker Class Servant for now. We'll still need to identify its true identity and come up with a counter plan."

I wish I had accessed Shared Perception during the encounter. The others could've helped with gathering information about this Servant. I guess there's always next time.

Couldn't say it wasn't an interesting start for the war.

Walking towards the teleporter with the Cipher Key, we left the Arena.

/*/

_Night_

"Fylkir," my Servant addressed me, no longer in her armor, but her modest kirtle. "I apologize for not defeating the enemy. My spear ran through the Servant of that condescending one, but it felt as though nothing was there. Perhaps we should have used one of my skills?"

"It's fine," I told her. "We made it out in one piece. Tomorrow, we'll focus on researching the enemy."

Although to be honest, all we knew was that a child's cyber-ghost became a monster with ridiculous strength. That wasn't much to go on.

But it was better than nothing.

And so, we turned in for the night.

/*/

_**Save your progress:**_

**Answer YES**


	3. Week 1: Shared Perception

Happy New Year, etc. etc.

Here's the next chapter.

* * *

><p>Week 1: Shared Perception<p>

_**Remaining Evenings: 5**_

_Midday_

I needed to find out more about that Servant.

As lunch rolled around, that single thought was buried into my mind. Lancer's Strength Parameter was not very high, only boasting a C rank at the moment, but the fact that the enemy tanked it and kept going left me a bit shocked. Had we run into a terrifying opponent in the first round already?

While I processed these thoughts, the door to the room slid open. My blue haired comrade stepped into the classroom. Wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt with a crimson floral pattern and black skirt, she greeted me.

"Afternoon," she said, smiling softly.

"Hey Myta," I told her, some concern in my voice. Apparently she picked up on it, since she tilted her head curiously.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Well…" I manned up and told her about the enemy we faced, as the lunch period was nearing its end.

"I see," she placed her hand on her chin. "Really, both you and Liar seemed to have run into trouble already. Why didn't either of you activate Shared Perception?"

"It all happened so fast th—wait," I felt my eyes narrow after registering her first words. "What happened to Liar?"

Liar, whose real name was Tsuchimikado, was the only other male of our group, which consisted of him, Myta, myself, and Rachel. He said he preferred to be called that, since that was his habit. We think it was a habit he took up because of the conflict going on in the world.

I'm not going to lie when I say that Japan is one of the worst places to be, with all the conflict going around there, even compared to the other countries that hadn't submitted to the Harways yet.

"His opponent got the drop on him, and his Servant needs at least two days to recover. He's lucky he managed to retrieve his first Cipher Key before the attack. Rachel, on the other hand, shouldn't have any problems considering her opponent is someone who doesn't seem to grasp the price of failure."

In other words, the poor sap is treating it like a game…he won't be around for the next round.

"Anyway," she walked over to me slowly and placed her finger on my forehead, "I was just checking up on you, but I'll do research in the Library and meet you in the evening."

She traced her finger down to my cheek and smiled softly before departing. My Servant appeared once the class was empty again, and simply stared at the doorway after Myta left. Seconds later, she vanished without a word. I'll need to talk to her about that later, before it causes any problems.

Misunderstandings from lack of communications weren't funny in the middle of a war.

/*/

_Evening_

I walked into the Library to find Myta sitting at a table, placing her hair behind her ear, while reading a book. Once she noticed me, she closed it, and approached me. Her face had a minor frown.

"There wasn't enough to go on," she told me. "I'll need more information. Hm?" she muttered, turning her back to me and holding a conversation with thin air. It must have been her Servant. "Thank you."

"What was that about?" I asked.

"My Servant was staking out the Arena entrance and just saw your opponent enter. This would be the ideal time to gather information," she said, readjusting her glasses. "Go and confront the opponent while Shared Perception is active, and I'll record the information and have Liar help me sort everything out."

"What about getting your Cipher Key?" I asked her. We all needed to get closer to the grail, despite the fact that it meant that we would have to fight and kill each other. Helping me shouldn't hinder her.

"I've already retrieved mine," she said softly. "We girls seem to be having better luck this round. Anyway, get going and activate Shared Perception the moment you enter the Arena."

Without much to say, I caved and went with Lancer to the Arena Entrance.

/*/

_First Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor_

We stepped off the Teleporter Pad.

"Alright," I told myself out loud, before activating Shared Perception.

_sp_start(sender);_

_char_sight_link();_

_complete;_

_char_sound_link();_

_complete;_

_char_smell_link();_

_complete;_

_char_touch_link();_

_complete;_

_char_taste_link();_

_complete;_

_waiting for link…_

_link connected;_

_All functions linked;_

Shared Perception was activated, with me sending what my senses detected, and Myta receiving the flow of information as if it were her own. My eyes had changed to an illuminated blue color. With the basic link established, I looked over to my Servant and nodded.

We ran to find Baltr.

/*/

We finally encountered my opponent, waiting in an open space. He had some kind of book in hand, and his eyes were still as condescending as before. He stretched out his hand and the creature we encountered last time appeared once again, seething with killing intent.

"Eliminate them," he said, without an ounce of doubt in his words. Where did his confidence come from?

The creature howled, and Lancer stepped in front of me, her spear ready to be used.

"Fylkir," she addressed me. "I will end this at your command!"

"Then go," I told her. "But don't take an unprotected hit."

"As you wish!" Lancer said, as power began twisting the flow of data around her.

The battle began.

Lancer took off. Cutting through the empty space in no time at all, her spear targeted the creature's head. The creature avoided it, narrowly moving it to the side, while countering with a side swipe at her body. She leapt into the air and rolled, the blow missing her by mere inches.

She landed and turned, thrusting the spear to perform a Break. The creature performed its own Break at the same time. The two blows clashed, releasing a shockwave that ruffled both my and Baltr's clothing.

Lancer leapt back and put distance between the two of them. The mad monstrosity began to charge. Lancer was preparing to run the creature through when, Baltr raised his arm and pointed a finger at my Servant.

"Code Cast: _loss_str(32);_" Six symbols flew from his finger and surrounded my Servant, her arms that rippled with power lost the ability to use her spear to its fullest potential. Her strikes would be as effective as stones against plate mail.

"Lancer, fall back!" I yelled, and the magic circuits in my body roared. Activating the Formal Wear gloves' code cast, I called "_bomb(16);_" and aimed for the monster's foot and let loose a small explosion that tripped it.

Lancer had put more distance between her and it. The creature soon regained its footing and began a relentless assault, forcing Lancer to constantly dodge the massive, powerful strikes. She struck back with several glancing blows, but they hardly even left a scratch while Baltr's code cast was still in effect.

"_Myta,_" I whispered, "_make sure you get all of this._"

It took a full minute for the code cast to wear off, during which I kept my eyes between Lancer and Baltr, constantly shifting them to gather as much information as I could. Once strength returned to Lancer's arms, she went back on the offensive.

Her spear became a blur that scraped at the creature's body and gouged out portions of its massive frame. I noticed that Baltr was preparing to use another code cast, but I was quicker. Aiming for the spot next to Baltr as a warning, I casted _bomb(16); _once again.

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't target an opponent, but this was a war. There were no rules against targeting the enemy inside the Arena, at least not before the SE. RA. PH cut the battle between Servants short. Speaking of which, why wasn't it interfering now?

Anyway, the blast did nothing against him. He only glared at me, as the book in his hands seemed to have swallowed the blast and protected him. Was it some kind of Defensive Formal Wear against code casts?

"Fylkir!" Lancer cried, drawing my attention to her. "Permission to use my first skill?"

"Granted!" I told her, not willing to draw this battle out any longer.

Magical energy poured out of Lancer, and flames erupted from the spear. Spiraling the tip like a drill, the flames roared and embers scattered. Lancer flew forward, leaving a trail of flickering embers, and the creature brought up both its arms to Guard.

"_Hiti Bresta_!"Lancer roared, as the spear drove through the Guard without any effort, scattering countless hexagonal tiles that shattered into pieces, as the monstrosity bellowed. The flames swallowed it without mercy, and it fell to the ground, slowly scattering into black particles before completely disappearing.

We killed it. So, now if that was his Servant we defeated, he should also…

"Hmph," Baltr grunted, unharmed and in one piece. He didn't even flinch, as he stared at me with piercing eyes. "You managed to defeat it."

"It wasn't a Berserker after all," I mumbled. Baltr smirked in response and raised the book in his hand.

"I'll admit that was one of the stronger ones, but I doubt your Servant can stand up to a swarm of Aptergoers," he said, as the atmosphere became hostile. Numerous cyber-ghosts appears around him, and darkness swallowed them, twisting and mangling their forms until they became demonic effigies.

"Fylkir," Lancer said, standing in front of me like an iron wall. "Should we continue? If I can cut through them, we could take him out by risking a penalty."

"No," I told her, reaching into my inventory. There were too many risks involved for us to even try. The book, these creatures, his confidence, it would be foolhardy to continue. We only came for information, and we got enough for now. "We'll fall back."

I pulled out a Return Crystal and crushed it in my hands. Lancer and I both had our bodies torn apart into individual bytes and spirited away to the outside of the Arena.

/*/

_Night_

Back in our room, Lancer was fast asleep. I didn't wake her, since I was tired myself. I shut the Shared Perception off once we were outside the Arena. Hopefully, we could compare notes tomorrow and get some answers.

/*/

_**Save your progress:**_

**Answer YES**


	4. Week 1: Graveyard

Week 1: Graveyard

_**Remaining Evenings: 4**_

_Midday_

We were forced to retreat yesterday, in order to survive against that many enemies.

What were assumed was a Servant was actually something else, meaning that our enemy still hasn't revealed their Servant's identity. All we know is that Baltr is a serious threat that has to be handled. And then there's that weird book of his that absorbed my code cast like nothing.

"Fylkir," Lancer said, as she appeared next to me. "He mentioned the term 'Aptergoer', didn't he?"

"Yeah," I responded.

"An aptergoer is a term given to the walking dead, hailing from my culture. The fact that he used that term means that whoever his Servant is, we should assume they have a base in that same culture."

That makes sense. Lancer would know, since she was a part of that same culture.

"So, let's assume that Baltr's using the cyber ghosts inside Moon Cell to his advantage. We still need to learn how he's doing it. It could be some item or skill that his Servant has, or he could be hacking Moon Cell itself. We can't jump to conclusions."

Lancer closed her eyes and thought about it for a few seconds, before vanishing as the door to the classroom slid open. Myta walked in, with a soft smile on her face. In her hands was her terminal.

"It worked," she said. "The Shared Perception worked like a charm and I received all the information."

"What did you learn?"

"Well," she shifted her glasses, "as you've probably guessed, the enemy is using cyber ghosts to fight their battles, most likely it's a skill of the enemy Servant. The problem is that the Servant himself is being protected."

"How?" I asked. I didn't recall seeing the enemy Servant at all.

"When you sent that warning shot to Baltr, you noticed that book protected him, correct?" I nodded my head. "There's a 75.9% chance that it's the Servant, who is most likely a Caster."

A Caster—a master of magic from an unknown age—whose prowess can only be guessed is our enemy. Lancer will not be happy about that. She has a…history with Casters.

"I can create a Formal Wear to reveal the Servant's true form, but I'll need a certain item from Liar to do so. I've talked things over with him about it, but he wants you to retrieve something from the Arena for him."

"…Alright, I'll go see him later. Thanks for the help." I told her honestly.

She smiled, before leaving the room. As soon as the room was empty again, Lancer reappeared.

"It had to be a deceitful Caster," she mumbled, malice lacing her voice.

"Lancer, calm down." I ordered. "I understand your frustration, but now isn't the time."

"As you wish, Fylkir."

/*/

_Evening_

Walking out to the garden, I find Liar flirting with two other Masters. He wore a red blazer with a yellow undershirt, and his short golden hair swayed in the wind. The girls were staring into his red eyes, drawn in like a magnet, while the words from his lips stole their hearts.

They were clearly not aware of the severity of the game considering they were actually talking about their plans once they leave the system. Once he spotted me, he politely sent them away and came over to greet me.

"Yo!" he said.

"You know, that was pretty cruel of you to lead them along like that," I told him. "You know that there won't be a later for them."

"You say 'cruel', but in the end, it's their own faults for not realizing the stakes. Let them have a little fun for now, seeing as the next round won't be pleasant for anyone. Anyway, the reason I asked for a trade is because my Servant fell into an opponent's trap and took some damage that won't be healed for the rest of the day, but I need to retrieve something from the Second Floor of the Arena in order to set up a counter-measure."

"This 'something' wouldn't be gained from hacking the Arena, would it?" He grinned. "Thought so."

"The item you need is an 'Ofuda', which I hacked to replace the regular data folders. I need only one of them, but the more the better. In exchange, I'll go give Myta what she needs to help you out later today, since neither of us is entering the Arena."

"Fine…" I mumbled, and with that he laughed his tail off and went to find those girls he was flirting with.

Walking back into the main building, I saw Taiga harassing some poor chump who called her Tiger. Once she was done menacing him, I handed over the strap, but then she suckered me into finding her Kendo shinai. For an AI, she's pretty convincing.

Either way, next stop: The Arena.

/*/

_First Chimeric Lunar Sea - Second Floor_

The Arena's second floor was vastly different than before. Instead of empty darkness that spanned the void, it was a bleak and foggy world of broken tombstones and twisted gates, where coffins floated in the air and sounds echoed from all over.

"It's like it's mocking me…" I mumbled.

"The Arenas changes with each and every run through the Grail War." Lancer said. "Although, I must agree with your statement considering who our opponent is. This domain seems suited for an enemy as malicious as a Caster."

"Right," I said, shifting the gloves on my hand. "Either way, let's go. We've should focus on finding those Ofuda. Any sign of Baltr and we leave."

"Understood," Lancer responded, and we took off.

Walking through the shifting dirt beneath my feet, it truly felt as though the world before me was reality—a somewhat disturbing and twisted reality—but a reality nonetheless. Despite the lurking terror, I couldn't help but feel that this world would still be a step up from Earth in its current condition. There has been no technological advancement in so long, and the constant fighting…

If Moon Cell could create a virtual world that would be undistinguishable from reality, then it could only be described as paradise. To be honest, compared to the hell of spending nearly every day in conflict, where one misstep can cause you to die, being in a coma would be better. While this Grail War is cruel, it's at least organized so that those who cross over knowing what they're getting into. They at least have a shot at accomplishing their dreams.

As for my dreams…

"Fylkir!" Lancer screamed, breaking me from my delusional state of thought. I leapt out of the way to avoid being attacked by some kind of "Bee" program, which fired its stinger and replaced it fast enough to fire it again like a slow machine gun. Lancer swiped at it with her spear and knocked it on the ground, finishing it with another stab.

Before either of us could breathe easy, another attack from behind grazed my arm and forced me to dive. While the damage was minimal, my health did decrease, and unlike my Servant, mine couldn't be healed in the Arena. Turning and aiming with my gloves, I code cast and blasted it in the face, stunning it long enough for Lancer to pierce it with her spear.

"Fylkir, can you stand?" Lancer asked, as she reached out to pull me up.

I grabbed her hand and stood. "I'm fine. Still, where did the one from behind me come from? We're on a straight path."

"There's a hidden passage somewhere along the left side we passed," she said, as she walked over to where I assumed the program came from and appeared to walk on thin air. "Shall I scout ahead while you rest?"

"…No, we should always stay together," I said. It would be too easy if Baltr appeared or another program spawned and took me out. "The damage was minimal at best, I can support you."

We walked down the invisible path, a dirt road appearing with each step we took. When we arrived beyond the dense layer of fog, we discovered two regular data folders and one red data folder. Inside the green ones were the Ofuda, but inside the red one was a Formal Wear…it was a scarf of some kind. I'd test it another time, but for now we made our way back to the main path and down towards the center of the Arena.

We passed a few more weird programs along the way, including a dozen that were flat as boards but rotating around their Y-axis. Not really a threat to Lancer, but they were starting to get annoying at the very least. We passed another two data folders, which I promptly raided and took the Ofuda. I still wanted to know why he wanted them though…

I guess I'll keep one and give him the rest.

As we stood over a portion of the floor that was on top of the place where we would conduct our final battle with Baltr, we noticed a flux of magical energy ahead of us. Baltr was there, doing something with the book in his hand. Holding it towards the artificial moon in the sky, he recited what sounded like a prayer, in a language similar to what Lancer spoke occasionally.

"Lancer…don't do it…" I whispered, noticing she was getting ready to do something incredibly reckless and stupid.

Lancer's muscles tensed. Like a spring ready to fly forward, she was preparing to strike him down. The distance could be covered in less than two seconds, but somehow I doubt he would be caught off guard. I had to physically restrain her before she did something irrational and blew our cover.

A chill ran down my spine, and I fell back with Lancer in my arms, dragging her along. Whatever he was doing was unnatural…well, to be fair all of this was unnatural, but this felt ominous and deadly. Lancer didn't struggle anymore and seemed to recognize what was happening.

Either way, this wasn't the place for us to be talking about it. We had to split before he noticed us or sent a bunch of those undead after us. This place seemed like it was catered to him after all.

"Let's. Go. Now." I told Lancer in a very strict tone. She complied and we left the way we came, on alert the entire way to the teleporter. We were going to discuss her behavior the moment we got back to my room.

/*/

_Night_

"Lancer," I called for her in a serious tone. "We need to discuss the matter with Myta yesterday and Baltr today. You nearly compromised us, and if you had gone through with it, we could've been slapped with a penalty."

"Fylkir, I—" she started, but I cut her off by raising my hand.

"We'll start with Baltr. You let what happened to you in your past life overrule your judgment and my orders, to the point that I had to restrain you. We both know you could've simply shrugged me off and ran forward, but had you done that it would've been unforgivable, and a sign that our partnership was over."

She glanced down at the ground, shame written all over her face. Though it pained me to lecture and criticize her actions, it was necessary. If anything happened to her, I would suffer the same fate, and she would never forgive herself if she was allowed to fight again in the future. In addition, the others were depending on me as well.

All of us needed to go as far as possible, so that one of us would claim the grail.

"As for Myta, I wouldn't mind if it was just because you didn't trust her. Despite the fact that she had been a loyal ally for longer than we've met, she is an enemy Master now. However, unless she and the others are directly opposing us in the next match, we should help and respect them just as well. But that look was one of jealousy, not of simple mistrust."

Lancer said nothing, which I took as proof of my assumptions. "Lancer, I don't need to go on any further about how your behavior is unbecoming, do I?"

"No, not at all."

"Good," I said. "Then this discussion is over for now. We'll pick up in the evening tomorrow."

/*/

_**Save your progress:**_

**Answer YES**


	5. Week 1: Exposed

Week 1: Exposed

_**Remaining Evenings: 3**_

_Midday_

Myta, Liar, and I were in the empty classroom. I handed him two of the Ofuda I took—the third in my room for further study—and told them about Baltr. It was a bit underhanded, but this was a war and, while I wouldn't actively sabotage him, I did need a hand up on him. Both he and Myta saw Lancer under Shared Perception, and they know her class and appearance.

"Here," Myta said, as she handed me a pair of stylish, black shades. I picked them up and inspected him. She played with her own glasses a bit. "These shades can strip apart any magical protection program he's using to hide his Servant's identity, as well as pinpoint a weakness in the program to disable it. However, I did not have enough time to refine them, so they'll only work once.

"This scarf you retrieved is a 'Phoenix Scarf', a Formal Wear that heals the Servant," Myta said, holding up the scarf. "As for what Baltr was doing, I am not very certain. My knowledge of Casters is fairly limited."

"My family is descended from Onmyoujin, before the loss of magecraft," Liar spoke up. "Comparing what you've said to some of the notes I've read in the past, it's probably a ritual to set you some kind of territory, but I'd need to see it myself."

"….Why were you reading notes on a dead art?" I asked, curious at the statement.

"Well," he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "When I was little, I always wanted to do magic. I used to imagine myself as a powerful Onmyoujin when I was a kid."

"That's nothing for you to be ashamed of," Myta said. "All of us must've dreamed of doing things like that at one point. I'd imagine there's a great amount of people who entered the Grail War to experience such a feeling."

"If only the stakes weren't so high," I muttered. Both of their faces became solemn at that. Code casts were the closest we could get to external magecraft, and we could fight alongside famous Casters, not to mention this peaceful school life was quite nice, but there could be only one winner.

The rest, they die.

/*/

_Night_

I didn't go to the Arena today. I wanted to take a break from all the chaotic fighting and explore the school grounds a bit. I have no idea why the war was set in a high school. It almost seems sadistic to me.

I looked out the window and stared at the false moon in the night sky. There were no gunshots ringing the night air, or the need to stay half-awake, hoping to wake up in the morning. The sounds of battle were restricted to the Arena.

I looked over to the tower that surrounded my Servant. Her sleeping form was quite exquisite. And yet, I noticed a sad look on her sleeping face.

"Lancer," I muttered. I never wanted to lecture her yesterday or this evening, nor did I want for my words to affect her so deeply. It honestly pains me for a proud shieldmaiden like her to be so subservient. Her past life did a number on her.

I could recall the moment we met.

I had broken through the illusion that was created by Moon Cell rather quickly, only after being trapped inside for two days with Rachel's help. I took my effigy into the first stage, where I fought against a few programs to understand how the battles were conducted, and decimated the final effigy that stood against us. My reward was meeting Lancer for the first time.

And I was instantly entranced by her beauty.

Using one of the effigies I salvaged for a practice dummy, I gained an understanding of her current skill set and her method of fighting. The way she carried herself during battle was magnificent, so elegant and divine, she crossed the battlefield like a blazing red comet. Yet, it was offset by how much she looked to me for approval and praise.

The moment I asked her what her name was I knew I was truly lucky to have her by my side. But when she told me of her past, I understood why she and I became Master and Servant; we were both connected by flames. I was driven to guide her as best I could, never to betray her as she had been by her former master, nor deceive and manipulate her like the witch who led to her to desperation and death.

I understood why she acted the way she did with Myta, the girl's behavior probably reminded her of someone from her past life that aided in her betrayal. But if she can't separate the past from the present, then there won't be a future for us to have together. The future we want, after the end of the quest for the Holy Grail.

I never knew what love was before, and to say I was in love with her after only being with her for a short time period would be an insult to both of us. I admit I am drawn to her for many reasons, both physical and mental, so I want to be there for her to the very end. I am honestly glad our lives are connected as they are.

Weary, I closed my eyes for the day, and entered a dreamless sleep.

/*/

_**Save your progress:**_

**Answer NO**

/*/

_**Remaining Evenings: 2**_

_Midday_

As much as I loved taking a break from fighting in the Arena yesterday, I had to retrieve the Cipher Key and expose Baltr's Servant for what he was today. I could no longer afford to procrastinate, so I sent Lancer to observe the Arena entrance. Once Baltr entered, we'd chase after him.

Before I could plan out my next strategy, the classroom door slid open, and Father Kotomine appeared.

"Young Master," he said in a tone that somehow drove me to want to strangle him, "I have come to remind you to retrieve your Cipher Key before the final day. A great number of other Masters have yet to retrieve even one, let alone both. While you are ahead of the curve, I'd hate to see a match become nullified because disqualification."

"…Why do I get the feeling you want to see us fight for the sake of fighting?" I asked.

"Because humans truly shine in combat," he said. "Unlike us NPCs, you Masters come up with very creative measures in order to emerge victorious."

With that said, Father Kotomine exited the room. As much as he creeped me out, he had a point. Humanity was suited for combat. We had to be in order to survive against predators of the past, not to mention that most the advancements in medicine came about in war—not that anyone liked the fact that it was necessary with the constant loss of life.

Or at least it did in the past, before the period of stagnation.

/*/

_Evening_

"Lancer," I called, as I stood at the entrance of the Arena. "Has Baltr entered yet?"

"No, Fylkir. I've been here since morning, but he hasn't entered the Arena," she said, while hidden from plain sight.

"In that case, we'll enter ourselves and get the Cipher Key. After that, we can wait for him to arrive. You can sense when they arrive, if we're in the Arena, can't you?"

She took on her physical form and nodded her head.

_First Chimeric Lunar Sea - Second Floor_

We exited the teleporter and walked down the slope, making our way deeper into the Arena Floor. First, Lancer cleared out some of the fodder enemy programs, while I used the opportunity to use _bomb(16);_ to blast them from the back. If I were using a stronger _bomb();_ code cast, I could do more wide spread damage, but for now this had to do. It's times like this that I wished I was as good as the others were.

Myta, Rachel, and Liar were far more skilled hackers than I was, so they had their own unique code casts. Liar could create his own code casts, Myta was gifted in hacking Moon Cell and creating Formal Wear, and Rachel was gifted in creating items that could be used as traps for the Arena and had the best ability when it came to strategy, while I was a jack-of-all trades—a downgraded version of all three of them. Really, I could've easily been replaced by someone else if there were more people available.

There was this girl in Japan, Rin…something or other, who was gifted as a hacker, but she was bogged down by the fighting and wouldn't make it in time for the competition.

As I cleaned out the normal data folders, occasionally using the liberated goods to keep Lancer's strength up since I wasn't allowing her to use any MP until we encountered Baltr, I wondered if I should shift the equipped Formal Wear I was using.

My gloves held _bomb(16);_, which was offensive and could stun the enemy, and the shades had _invalidate_concealment(t);_, which could be used once to break through the magic-based concealment on his Servant. The shades were necessary, but against so many enemies I needed more than a small explosion. I needed to do something about Baltr's _loss_str(32);_ code cast.

Lancer's current skills covered attack, speed, and defense, but not strength. _Hiti Bresta _(Flame Break) was a Break attack that did piercing physical damage. _Svanr Vaengr _(Wings of the Swan) was a speed boosting spell. The last active skill she possessed was _Bálkr Lind_ (Wall of Shields) which was a defensive spell. She had nothing to raise her strength with the exception of her Noble Phantasm, and that exposed her true identity to others, so it was only be used sparingly in the later rounds…or at least that was what I hoped.

When I approached a hidden, red data folder that was beyond the Cipher Key, it was guarded by some program that _shouldn't have been on this level at all_. I swear it was physically stronger than some Servants! I had to use Lancer's Noble Phantasm just to make her fast enough to avoid having her crushed by the sheer strength of it.

She used up all her MP in the process too. It was a good thing it dropped an Elixir…plus it leveled me up quite a bit. There was also some warning about unleashing a monster that should've been sealed away, but I was too relieved that the thing was down for the count to care. Anyway, I opened the data folder.

"Ah, this must be Taiga's Kendo Shinai," I said, holding it in my hands…before I felt a pulse of bloodlust coming from it and started to shiver. Just to be sure, I asked Lancer what she thought.

"It seems like a _nid_—a curse—has been laid on it," she said, agreeing with me.

"How did a practice sword become so bloodthirsty?" I muttered…until I thought about what would happen if I gave it to Taiga. I could hear the screams of innocent Masters and Servants alike, as they begged for mercy from the merciless Tiger, wielding this cursed weapon, which made them into an eldritch abomination capable of defeating any Servant.

There would be no innocents, only the Tiger and the hunted…

_We'd be accomplices in creating a monster…_I thought, until Lancer tapped my shoulder to alert me to a new threat. Baltr finally entered the Arena. "It's time to get to work, Lancer."

/*/

"So, you've come…" Baltr said emotionlessly when we confronted him in a wide area. Cyber ghosts appeared and were twisted into abomination after abomination. Soon their numbers were mid-twenties at the very least. "These weak aptergoers will be enough."

I activated the Shared Perception to send the information to both Myta and Liar, who retrieved their Cipher Keys yesterday after we had our little meeting. Unlike before, when I acted as a sender and she acted as a receiver, it'll go both ways with Myta this time, while Liar will just be a spare receiver—an observer. Myta and I will be tired as hell tomorrow and probably won't enter the Arena, but if we do things right, we can spend the next day figuring something out.

"Lancer," I said with my voice firm, as I gave her my next command, "send them to Niflheim where they belong."

"Understood, Fylkir!" Lancer said. She tightened the grip on her spear before she dashed into battle. We already discussed this, but she was to create an opening by reducing their numbers and forcing him to use that grimoire to summon more. Once he did, I would activate the code cast on the shades.

I had to wait until Liar identified the chance to strike and signaled Myta, who would inform me when to do it. I instructed Lancer to hold back, using just enough strength to banish the aptergoers, but not enough to brush them aside. Going all out now wouldn't help us.

Red flashes illuminated the area around Lancer, her spear moving at a level where she felt comfortable, yet restrained, slicing through the abominations at a reasonable pace and multiple hits occasionally. Baltr observed carefully, not using his code cast at all. He probably noticed she's holding back, which was good. There are few things more insulting than holding back on an enemy who knows you are stronger than you appear.

Lancer was hitting far harder during the last fight, and moving faster. He looked at me and I smirked, adding further to the illusion I was underestimating him. He frowned, as the number of monstrosities fell to five, and to push his buttons a little more, I yawned and covered my mouth, as if I was bored.

I swear I could see a vein appear on his head, despite only having a small frown on his face. It felt as though the atmosphere shifted. Success!

"_Look at his grimoire and code cast…Now!_" Myta said through our connected hearing. I shifted the shades with my hand and gazed at the book. Through the shades I could see some magical energy appearing. So, gathering my own magical energy, I activated the Formal Wear.

"_invalidate_concealment(t);_" I casted, magical energy gathered into the lenses and revealed a bunch of data, before beams of light were fired from them and pierced the grimoire. The space around it warped until a burst of dark energy revealed the Servant.

Caster was pale, with black eyes and yellow pupils that were slits. His hair was black, with unnatural strands of gray. He wore a tattered, gray robe with a holster that had the grimoire in it. He scowled at me, seething in anger.

"How annoying," he said. "It seems as though I can't use the Gray Leather to conceal myself for some time."

Baltr looked at me with contempt once again. "A nice trick, but it won't save you."

"I'd be more concerned with myself if I were you," I said, pointing to Lancer, who was getting ready to pounce at the chance of skewering Caster. "I don't want to be saddled with a penalty right after we've exposed you, and I doubt your Servant can last until the SE. RA. PH interferes."

Baltr thought about it and closed his eyes. "Fine, we're done setting things up here anyway. The Elimination round will spell your end."

"I've not felt such shame since trying to obtain Red Leather," Caster muttered. "Next time we meet, you'll pray that you could enter the Lands of Mist."

They both logged out of the Arena.

Looking at Lancer, she seemed a bit tired from all the effort we went through today, and I'm beat as well. We already cleared the map of all the data folders and obtained the Cipher Key. There was no need to stay here,

So I cut Shared Perception off and crushed a Return Crystal. We were pulled out of the Arena.

/*/

_Night_

Exhausted from the battle both Lancer and I fell asleep in our respective places, never stirring until the next day.

/*/

_**Save your progress:**_

**Answer NO**

/*/

_**Remaining Evenings: 1**_

_Midday _

_The Commissary_

Our endeavors yesterday were successful, and as a result, we exposed Caster's form.

As I was heading down to the Commissary for food, I passed Taiga. She was yelling at a few other Masters and looked as though she wanted to throttle them. It seemed like she was getting ready to pounce like a…well, like a tiger, until she suddenly stopped and looked at me.

The shinai was pulsating, and she walked over like she was drawn to it.

"_**Would you please hand that over?**_" Taiga said in an eerie voice, with empty eyes that filled me with dread. Terrified at the thought of her using it on me if I didn't comply, I forked over her demonic tool…and the temperature dropped about twenty degrees in an instant.

"_**Thank you**_," she said in an even creepier voice and stared at the Masters who pissed her off, the sword in her hand wrapped in eldritch energy crafted by the blood of the many victims of the sword in the past. Their survival instincts kicked in and they ran out of the building screaming, with Taiga chasing after them past the Schoolyard.

"Taiga-Sensei! You can't maim them so close to the Elimination Round!" Sakura Matou, the school nurse, said as she ran after them with a large first aid kit.

"Interesting," Father Kotomine said, standing next to me. "That item should have been sealed away and guarded by a powerful program, one that hasn't been used in many wars because of its high strength. Either you're Servant was skilled or fast…" a small smile appeared on his face. "It has been some time since I've seen the demonic Tiger unleashed. It will amuse me."

He walked after them and as soon as he left, I breathed a sigh of relief at the rising temperature. I walked down the stairs and into the Commissary. When I got here and bought some food, Myta approached me and sat down to eat with me.

Lancer was still in my private room, sleeping after the two intense fights yesterday, so I didn't have to worry about her being tempted to stab the girl. Not that she would after our discussion, but still, it's best to remove the temptation altogether and I'd rather not have to use a Command Seal on it.

After finishing the small meal she had, Myta told me about the meeting in the Library and left. I was about to leave too, when I heard horrible screams of terror. As soon as evening rolled around, I was going to meet with the others in the Library.

/*/

_Evening_

_The Library_

The Library had roughly two dozen other Masters, the ones who actually took this seriously, researching various materials in order to get the drop on their opponents. Some were actually doing a bit of trading around with items and Formal Wear they bought with them or got in the Arena. It seemed like not everyone received the same items in the data folders, which were probably randomized in a certain criteria, along with each individual Arena.

One of the male Masters came up to me and wanted to trade for my Phoenix Scarf, saying he didn't get one from the Arena and his opponent had some Servant that could use a skill that increased all their stats if the opponent used a healing item instead of a code cast.

Ignoring that such a troublesome enemy existed; I traded him for an "Exorcism Baton", which held the code cast _reduce_loss(16);_, which was inferior to Baltr's code cast, but it could at least reduce the effect of the code cast by half considering it was only a single level above.

Liar and Myta were sitting at a table, waiting for me. There was a device on the table that looked like a pyramid paper weight, but once I got near the table I realized a difference in the air density; it was actually a sound proof barrier to prevent the conversation from being overheard.

We compared notes on what information we retrieved. First, we noticed that the Caster used cyber ghosts and twisted them, calling them "aptergoers", which is a term from Norse culture. Second, we learned he mentioned something about Gray Leather and Red Leather. Lastly, Liar noticed the way the atmosphere shifted before we exposed them suggest that he is capable of creating a high level "Territory" to work in.

After that, we took a break from guessing the enemy's identity, since I could ask Lancer or do more research after they left. However, I realized that I didn't really know anything about how their matches are going and if they needed help on anything.

"My opponent?" Lair mumbled. "It's this guy…um, I forgot his name, but his Servant is a monk named Gennou, who has control over three fox spirits. He doesn't stand a chance against my Servant."

"As for my opponent," Myta chuckled, "they didn't earn their Cipher Key in time. So I win by default."

"That's convenient," I muttered. "It's a luxury that's normally available because of the lack of motivation in the first round."

Myta only smiled at the statement, before we parted ways.

_First Floor Hallway_

Before I got ready to turn in for the night, as the sun was setting, Taiga approached me. She had a smile on her face, no doubt happy at retrieving her sword. I shuddered when I thought about what I heard and the other Masters' gossiping.

A few witnesses say that she cornered them on the Archery Range and they called out their Servants to defend themselves, while they fought back using code casts that took even the SE. RA. PH a few minutes to repair the damage to the area. She was a merciless tiger, hunting prey with her sword, and beat both the Servants and Masters to an inch of their lives within 3 minutes, until the SE. RA. PH interfered. But what was worse was the fact that it only took a few blows to drop them at their current levels, and they should have been eliminated within 30 seconds.

That was when they discovered the horror the sword…it could never reduce their health past 1 HP, meaning she could keep beating them over and over. Their screams made even the hardest of men flinch, and women screamed in terror as they saw the look on Tiger's face—sadistic joy to the highest level, only matched by the smirk on Father Kotomine's face as he watched. I know our avatars act like real bodies, but I never thought they could bleed like that!

Not to mention, she got to use the thing to punish people under the guise of a training boss. Luckily, no one seemed to realize that I was the one who handed the sword back to her. Plus the NPCs were keeping their lips sealed; otherwise I'd have a ton of attempted murders aimed towards me for unleashing a bonus boss of such a level.

"Yo!" Taiga said innocently. "Thanks for retrieving my sword. Take this as compensation," she said, handing me a set of female pajamas aptly named "Taiga's Pajamas…?" and taking off.

They felt like silk in my hands and were blood red…with tiger paw prints on them…

I wondered how they'd look on Lancer...

No, I'd never force my Servant to wear such a thing…

/*/

_Night_

"Fylkir," Lancer muttered, stepping out of the tower of desks. "This is a little different than what was typical of my time…but it feels very nice against my skin. Thank you."

…Thump. "Ow." Thump. "Ow." Thump. "Ow."

"Why are you hitting your head against a desk?" she asked. I stopped my self-inflicted torture and looked at her. The pajamas fit her fine, which led me to think Taiga got her measurements somehow…but for some reason the cut in the shirt was so low, it left enough skin—in very appealing places—exposed.

Taiga couldn't pull that look off, which brought up a whole other set of questions as to where she even got these...

"Just punishing myself for being so weak-willed," I wept comically. "I shouldn't have asked you to see if it would fit, since you'd wear it out of obligation rather than desire."

"No," she said, her blushing face as red as her hair. "Well, yes. I would've worn it out of obligation, but I liked it and I wanted to wear it…and I got it from you, so…" she trailed off.

"In that case, you can wear it, or your kirtle, whenever you want at night," I said, rubbing my aching head. "Back to business. Did the information I give you ring any bells about Caster's identity."

"Yes…" she said, sitting across from me on another desk. "I believe it is a man whose obsession led to his death. His name was Galdra-Louptr, the owner and author of _Grdskinni._"

/*/

_**Save your progress:**_

**Answer YES**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

Huzzah!

I finally got off my lazy butt and wrote up the next chapter. I would've done it sooner, but the following fanfics caught my attention and wouldn't let go.

_Naruto:_

*Hakumei

*Yet Again, with a little extra help

_Fate Stay Night:_

* From Fake Dreams

* In Flight (Sekirei Crossover)

_Nanoha:_

* Blood That Flows (Slayers Crossover)

I. Regret. Nothing!

PS: Check out this image of Lancer: http:/virolix .deviantart .com/ art/ Servant-Lancer-281727436


	6. Week 1: Elimination Round

Week 1: Elimination Round 1

_**Remaining Evenings: 0**_

_**THE LAST DAY**_

"You will now enter the Coliseum and confront the opposing Master. Are you ready? Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. If you are ready, I will open the gate." Father Kotomine stated.

_**Enter the Coliseum:**_

**Answer YES**

"The way to the Coliseum is now open young Master. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember: It's kill or be killed."

I inserted the cipher keys into the slots and the door became an elevator. I stepped into the darkness after activating _Shared Perception_ and the doors closed. With a rumble I began my descent into the battlefield, with Lancer by my side.

Standing on the other end of a transparent wall was Baltr and his Servant. His cold eyes met with mine, never breaking or wavering. Our Servants were glaring at each other with far more killing intent than either one of us Masters had.

"…What's wrong, Chooser?" Caster sneered. "The face you are making hardly seems fit for one of such nature."

"Just preparing to send you where you belong, Caster." Lancer responded. Her killing intent was practically so thick you could cut it with a knife.

As we got closer to our destination, and the battlefield grew beneath us, I recalled what learned about the particular Caster before me.

Apprentice of Góttstalk, the author of the Red Leather, who raised him at a young age, Galdra lost his parents and devoted himself into the study of runes under Góttstalk. He saw the man as a father figure, but what he truly sought was Góttstalk's knowledge, since the man was reputed to be able to raise the dead via the materialization of souls. Góttstalk noticed this, but raised him as if he was his own son regardless.

Galdra began experimenting into raising the dead—starting with animals and moving up to humans; he committed horrible actions for the sake of bringing back his parents and falling into the depths of madness. When he reached his mid-twenties, he could raised Draugar in countless numbers, using a grimoire of his making called _Grdskinn—The Gray Leather_, but it was unable to match the ability and power displayed by his master and the grimoire he wielded, _Raudhskinn—The Red Leather_.

Galdra eventually confronted his master, but Góttstalk was unable to bring harm to Galdra because of his emotions, so he destroyed his grimoire and allowed himself to be killed, and his body was buried before Galdra could retrieve it by a few other followers of Góttstalk. Unwilling to give up, Galdra hunted down the other apprentices until he found the grave of Góttstalk and raised him as a Draugr.

Furious that his student went so far and killed those who were like family—and worse, he turned them into Draugar and moved them against their will—Góttstalk damaged his mind even further and broke the others free from his control.

The end result was that Galdra's obsession led him down a dark path, in which he was slain by those he raised.

Curious as to how such a man could stand to be partnered with someone so twisted, I asked Baltr his reasons for fighting.

"It doesn't matter." Baltr muttered. "One way or another, this match will be a victory for me."

The elevator stopped and we took our place on the battlefield.

* * *

><p>Standing opposite of us on the grave battlefield, our enemies prepared themselves for combat. Baltr, closed his eyes for a moment to mutter a name that did not reach my ears. Caster was delicately fingering his grimoire, while Lancer's grip tightened on her spear.<p>

"Noble Phantasm Activate: Gray Night!" Baltr muttered.

The atmosphere frozen and the world inverted. The natural order became distorted and the .PH seemed to pause, as everything halted. Countless figures appeared, transparent and lifeless.

"Cyber-ghosts?" I looked at the figures. "No…Servants!"

"Releasing a Noble Phantasm would normally burn out the brain of the Master…however inside of a Temple, that burden would probably be lessened…that's what he was doing in the Arena all that time…" Lancer assumed.

"HeehehheeHAHAHAHAHA!" Caster roared. "THIS IS THE POWER OF MY GRIMOIRE! I HAVE SURPASSED YOU, MASTER GÓTTSTALK!"

The Servants were drawn into the mad magician, as his form began to bubble and boil over. His arms and legs burst and were reformed into monstrous limbs that could match Heracles, his head popped like bubble, revealing dozens of them all in place of a single one. It twitched constantly, contorting occasionally in place. It could no longer speak in a language known to the living.

(A/N: Listen to Red - Already Over while reading this part for maximum effectiveness.)

This couldn't be called a Servant. It was an amalgam of Caster's distortion and madness—an abomination that spit on the living and dead. The abomination stood tall and glared at Lancer.

"So, this is the form your madness took, Caster?" she glared at him. "Such a thing perverts the entire Holy Grail War. It shouldn't even exist."

"As long as his Noble Phantasm is activated, it counts as a single Servant." Baltr spoke up. "You must defeat his Draugr Form—a gathering of all the Servants who have perished here and all their abilities."

The creature howled to the moon above, as if in unbearable pain. Of course, numerous Servants were forced into a single vessel. The twitching must be a sign of the different signals being sent, unable to take a single command unless it overpowers the others.

"Lancer, GO!" I yelled. "Put it out of its misery!"

She kicked off the ground and charged. The abomination followed suit, howling in pain its rebirth as a monstrosity of numerous Servants in one body. It thrusted its hand and grabbed the air, as Lancer performed a graceful leap into the air and swung her spear down. The abomination turned avoiding the strike and spun swing its back hand to intercept Lancer.

Lancer twirled her spear and held it horizontally, letting it absorb the impact with a _Guard_. Seeing as she was airborne, she was sent rocketing back, smashing through numerous gravestones before tumbling on the ground.

"Gub—" Lancer vomited a mouthful of blood onto the graveyard soil. She lost a lot of hit points between that single strike and the grave stones. She picked herself off the ground and wiped the blood off her face, before heading straight towards it one again. "Fylkir!"

"The second skill: _**Svanr Vaengr**__!_" I called, accessing it. Lancer eyes flash before she arched over and sprouted translucent swan wings on her back. Getting into a sprinter's crouch, the wings flapped and scattered the ghostly feathers, signaling her dash. Surpassing a speed that the abomination could comprehend, it never saw her as she left a red arc that cut through its flank.

Lancer avoided its next strike with her boosted speed and delivered a series of light thrusts, piercing its body. Its gaping mouth took a deep breath before exhaling a rain of dark needles towards Lancer, who retreated. She formed a _Guard_ once again and the shards ricocheted off the shield hexagons and littered the ground around her.

When the rain of attacks stopped, she charged. Her spear aflame and charging with magical energy, embers danced as she thrusted forward. "_Hiti Bresta!_"

The monster howled in pain, raising its arm and bringing it down on top of Lancer who shielded herself with her spear. The impact caved in the ground around them, when Baltr code cast, "_loss_str(32);_"

Lancer's arms began to buckle, so I raised the baton, "_reduce_loss(16);_" restoring some of her strength and then followed up with another code cast to the abomination's knees, "_bomb(16);_"

It howled and Lancer used the opening to free herself. It turned its attention towards me instead, glaring at me at as viable target, and taking a deep breath once again. Eliminating the Master is a valid tactic. Not that I approved of it, but still…

"The third skill—" the shards of darkness flew like bullets across the battlefield, all towards me. Lancer stabbed her spear into the ground, breaking the earth as the tip penetrated the surface. "—_**Bálkr Lind!**_"

A wall of large shields popped out of the earth around me, scattering the graveyard soil and graves stones. The sound of shards being shattered upon the shields over took everything, as volley upon volley kept raining down and dust clouds rose up. I stood in place, confident in my defenses.

Lancer used the opening and lunged at the creature's head, trying to impale it. She penetrated it, but all it did was moderate damage to the creature, which grabbed her by the leg, crushed it, and slammed her face first into a grave stone before it tossed her into another. Lancer's health dropped substantially and the speed boost from the second skill faded.

"Ether Shard!" I crushed a shard to heal some of the damage, mending her leg, but the damage was still substantial over all. "_**Svanr Vaengr**__!_"

The wings reappeared and she took off again, leaping into the sky to avoid a crushing strike and countering with a diving thrust. The battle raged, with Lancer getting in quick strikes that went past the monstrosity's defenses, and it returned one powerful blow for every dozen or so hits. I would help out occasionally, using a strategically placed blast to divert its attention or using an item to heal her until I ran out, but in the long run things were bleak.

Lancer was bleeding from her head, her face bruised and swollen, only able to even support herself using her chipped and nearly destroyed spear (0073 HP). Glaring at the monster looming over her, she began to glow, tapping into her remaining magical energy. The monstrosity raised its arm to end the act of resistance.

"_**bomb(16);**_" I screamed. Roaring magical energy gathered into my outstretched hand and fired like a cannon ball, slamming into the monster's head. The smoke and flames from the resulting explosion clouded its vision, as Lancer rolled and avoided the fatal attack. Sending power into her legs, once again she took to the sky and soared above the monster, leaving a trail of blood and magical energy along the way.

"THE FINAL STRIKE—" she yelled, pushing her magical energy to the breaking point (0 MP) and putting it all into her spear. "_**Hiti Bresta**__!_" Flames burst from the spear and spiraled, consuming her as she fell back to earth like a comet. The creature raised both of its arms and crossed the from above, forming a _Guard_.

The flaming spiral crashed into the hexagonal tiles that formed a shield and spouted a tower of flames.

"_**SHATTER!**_" Lancer yelled, before it pierced the final defenses that protected the monstrosity. It let out one final howl, as the attack literally drilled into the creature, tearing it into pieces that were scattered into the twister and burned to ashes. There were no signs of Caster left upon the death of the flames, as a red wall appeared between Lancer, myself, and Baltr.

The barrier before us halted with a loud locking noise, and the side of the battlefield that Baltr inhabited was shrouded blood red. He felt to his knees, looking at his hand that was turning black and slowly disintegrating. His body was being eroded, as his data was being deleted.

"So, I've lost," he said without any sign of fear or emotion. "Looks like I'll be going to see her instead of the other way around."

"What do you mean?" I asked, supporting Lancer's weak body.

"…I told you, one way or another, I would win this match," he smirked, but it held no arrogance or hostility. "I entered the war in hopes of seeing someone who died. The loss of mana made such a dream impossible on Earth, but here…"

That's right. Moon Cell holds the data of everything on the planet, living or not. Winning the war and gaining control over it would be tantamount to becoming God. Raising the dead wouldn't be impossible if that was the case…

Balter's body was almost completely black now; his left eye and mouth being the only places that retained their features. "Death is the fate of all things, our natural destination. Yet, it takes the things we treasure the most, leaving only a void that can never be filled. In the desire to take back was stolen from me, I became enamored by death…"

So, that was why he and Caster were partners. They both were fascinated, and yet, disgusted with death, leading to their distortion. One lost his sanity, the other lost his heart. Two incomplete beings fought for a dream that should've been all but impossible, except here, in Moon Cell.

With those final words, Baltr vanished from existence, and I can no longer turn back. My hands, along with the rest of the remaining Masters are stained with the blood of our enemies. The only path left for us is victory or death.

* * *

><p>Lancer had faded from her physical form. Even though she was restored to full health by the system, she and I were mentally exhausted after the match. It was far harder than expected for a first round. To have faced an opponent who could bend the rules in such a manner…<p>

As I stepped out of the elevator, the exhaustion caught up to me and I slowly fell to the ground, only to have my arms grabbed. Three figures appeared around me and held me up, keeping my body upright.

"Honestly," the male said. "You go through that match like a badass and now you pass out?"

"I will admit," a female said. "I didn't think your opponent was capable of such a thing."

"Myta…Liar…" I mumbled, weakly raising my head to see them both wrapping my arms around them.

"Just stay awake until we get you to the Nurse's office," a final voice said. I looked up to see the last of the group. "You've got quite a Servant to take a beating like that."

"Rachel…" I smirked. "About time you showed up."

So I survived the first round, but there was still six more to go. I would eventually have to fight these three as well, and that sank my heart. But at long last I can see the road towards the goal after overcoming my first obstacle.

This was…The Holy Grail War…

* * *

><p>Notes:<p>

Alright, short chapter but I've been busy.


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